February 07, 2014

Reuters Video: Double trouble in Olympic toilets

TRANSCRIPTREPORTER: These toilets sitting side by side with no partition are causing a bit of a stink. Images like these went viral last month when they were first discovered at the biathlon venue for the Sochi Olympics Russian officials poo-pooedthe idea that this would be a common sight at the games. But now another privy without privacy has been discovered at the Ekaterininskiy Kvartal hotel, where many of the media are staying for the Olympics which start on February 7th. CATHY LALLY, MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF FOR WASHINGTON POST AND GUEST AT THE EKATERININSKIY KVARTAL HOTEL: "A couple of weeks ago, there were a lot of conversations about this toilet because one was seen in the biathlon centre. Then, Russians started saying 'Oh no! It's not really like that. That was just a place where the partition has been torn down because they were turning it into a store room.' So, they were saying that it wasn't true that there are a lot of double toilets. Well, here we have one." REPORTER: But a maintenance worker at the hotel said they were starting to build a partition immediately. MAINTENANCE WORKER OF EKATERININSKIY KVARTAL HOTEL, PAVEL OSIPOV, SAYING: "The partition and doors will be installed tomorrow because it was the weekend yesterday and we couldn't put it in on time. We apologize to the hotel guests for the inconvenience. This toilet is just not finished yet, and I promise it will be done by the end of tomorrow." REPORTER: Perhaps these loos are now more than a flash in the pan.

IDIOMS AND WORDPLAY1. To flush is to become red, especially because you are embarrassed, angry or hot. • She flushed with anger. And if you flush a toilet, or if a toilet flushes, its contents empty and it fills with water again. • My children never flush the loo/toilet after them.2. Double trouble means a situation in which there is twice the number of problems that usually exist. • Having twins usually means double trouble for the parents.3. If something causes a stink, it causes trouble and make people angry. • The article about political corruption caused a real stink. A stink is a bad smell, like you get in toilets.4. If you poo-poo an idea, you express contempt for it or dismiss it. • Various automaker-CEOs have poo-pooed hydrogen fuel cell technology. And poo is a child's word for the solid waste that is passed through the bowels (aka Number Two).5. Privy is an old-fashioned term for toilet, loo, or lavatory.6. A flash in the pan is a sudden success that lasts only a short time and is not likely to be repeated. • Exciting new musical force or bombastic flash in the pan—which, over time, will Skrillex prove to be? And a toilet pan is the lower part of a toilet (see pic).

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TRANSCRIPTREPORTER: These toilets sitting side by side with no partition are causing a bit of a stink. Images like these went viral last month when they were first discovered at the biathlon venue for the Sochi Olympics Russian officials poo-pooedthe idea that this would be a common sight at the games. But now another privy without privacy has been discovered at the Ekaterininskiy Kvartal hotel, where many of the media are staying for the Olympics which start on February 7th. CATHY LALLY, MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF FOR WASHINGTON POST AND GUEST AT THE EKATERININSKIY KVARTAL HOTEL: "A couple of weeks ago, there were a lot of conversations about this toilet because one was seen in the biathlon centre. Then, Russians started saying 'Oh no! It's not really like that. That was just a place where the partition has been torn down because they were turning it into a store room.' So, they were saying that it wasn't true that there are a lot of double toilets. Well, here we have one." REPORTER: But a maintenance worker at the hotel said they were starting to build a partition immediately. MAINTENANCE WORKER OF EKATERININSKIY KVARTAL HOTEL, PAVEL OSIPOV, SAYING: "The partition and doors will be installed tomorrow because it was the weekend yesterday and we couldn't put it in on time. We apologize to the hotel guests for the inconvenience. This toilet is just not finished yet, and I promise it will be done by the end of tomorrow." REPORTER: Perhaps these loos are now more than a flash in the pan.

IDIOMS AND WORDPLAY1. To flush is to become red, especially because you are embarrassed, angry or hot. • She flushed with anger. And if you flush a toilet, or if a toilet flushes, its contents empty and it fills with water again. • My children never flush the loo/toilet after them.2. Double trouble means a situation in which there is twice the number of problems that usually exist. • Having twins usually means double trouble for the parents.3. If something causes a stink, it causes trouble and make people angry. • The article about political corruption caused a real stink. A stink is a bad smell, like you get in toilets.4. If you poo-poo an idea, you express contempt for it or dismiss it. • Various automaker-CEOs have poo-pooed hydrogen fuel cell technology. And poo is a child's word for the solid waste that is passed through the bowels (aka Number Two).5. Privy is an old-fashioned term for toilet, loo, or lavatory.6. A flash in the pan is a sudden success that lasts only a short time and is not likely to be repeated. • Exciting new musical force or bombastic flash in the pan—which, over time, will Skrillex prove to be? And a toilet pan is the lower part of a toilet (see pic).